Chapter Five- Traveling Demons
Kuwabara carefully cut away a root and added it to his sack. He and Kurama had been foraging for hours now and their respective sacks were only half-full. The fox demon estimated it would be best to fill both sacks full as neither knew how long it would take to break the spell. Kurama had a second sack that would hold any meat they might end up hunting down. Kuwabara wasn't sure what meat demons ate, but he did know that some demons ate humans. He felt lucky that Hiei wasn't one of them. Yusuke had described that this human-eating was in-bred and to refuse to eat humans can result in death. Kuwabara didn't like how casual Yusuke spoke of some demons eating humans. The very idea made him sick.
Kurama glanced over at his friend as he combed some grass. He knew this foraging was boring. He personally wanted to return to Human World, but knew he couldn't. Kuwabara wouldn't survive on his own and when he returned to his human self, he would attract the attention of human-eating demons and he would also need assistance in leaving Demon World.
A bellow made Kurama's head snap around as well as Kuwabara's. "Sounds like a boar," Kuwabara commented.
"The Demon World equivalent, yes. They are quite good, but difficult to bring down. However as we are strong demons and well-armed, it should not be too difficult."
The bellow sounded again, closer this time and the creature appeared. Kuwabara gaped at the size. It was enormous compared to the boars back home. He saw Kurama slowly summon his rose whip and he slowly drew his sword. If this thing is like most animals, the belly will be the weak spot. The animal froze upon seeing them before charging, swinging its head in an attempt to gouge them with its tusks. Both leaped out of the way and Kurama snapped his whip to wrap it around the boar's hind legs. The animal went down and Kuwabara moved in faster than he would have believed possible and swung the sword underneath it. The blade flashed and the belly split open. The creature yelped at the slice and Kuwabara stabbed his knife into its throat, killing it instantly. It flopped over and Kuwabara pulled out the knife and gathered his sword from where he dropped it when deciding the knife would be better in stabbing the throat.
Kurama unwrapped his whip, changed it back into a rose and tucked it into his hair. "Very nice, Kuwabara," he said as he opened the spare sack.
"Thanks. Man, I moved so fast, that boar didn't know what hit it until it was too late."
"Yes. Hiei's speed suits you." Kurama took out his knife and began to cut up the carcass. Kuwabara crouched down with his knife and helped in slicing and cutting. They soon had nearly full sack of meat and bones as they tied it up and returned to their search of edible vegetation. Kuwabara felt good in helping to take down the creature and now they had a meat source to have alongside their roots and other edibles. Hmm, I wonder when we'll meet up with other demons.
His wondering was answered two hours later when the pair was searching a new area. A series of whoops and yells rent the air, making both jump. Kurama seized his rose and Kuwabara gripped his sword's handle ready to pull it out at a moment's notice. A group of half a dozen demons were striding in their direction laughing and slapping each other on the backs and arms. He was astonished that they acted human and there were even a couple of girls in the group. They didn't look like they were seeking them out to kill them. They were just a group of demons who looked as if they were just friends enjoying a day out.
The tallest of them with a pair of horns on the top of his head spotted them and headed over with a big smile, his pals behind them. "Hello," he called. "My friends and I are a traveling group seeking other demons to fight to test our strength and skills and to witness our opponents' strength and skills. Would you honor us with some friendly sparring?" He did a double take at the redhead and took a step back, fear flickering across his face.
"K-K-Kurama," he stuttered before bowing low. "Please forgive me for asking."
Kurama replaced his flower. "There is no need to fear me. My friend and I would love to engage you and your group."
"Lovely," said a female who had white skin that was speckled with cheetah spots. A matching tail twitched behind her and claws topped her fingers. Her green cat eyes looked Kuwabara up and down before flashing her fangs in a friendly way. "You're a strong one, I can sense it. What's your name, handsome?"
"Uh, Kuwabara," he answered a little disconcerted by her actions.
"Kuwabara," she repeated as she sidled up to him. "I'm Vesta. Tell me: Are you fast?"
"Vesta is the fastest one of all of us," said the leader. "She loves to race but cannot find one who can keep up with her."
"Well," he glanced at Kurama who nodded slightly, intuiting what his friend was thinking. "I am fast. I just don't know how fast."
"Let's say we find out." She pointed in one direction. "There are some peaks over there. First one there and back wins."
Kuwabara grinned at the conditions. "I accept."
"Then ready, set,…go!" Vesta sped off in the blink of an eye. Kuwabara was momentarily startled before he vanished in a blur.
The others called after them before sparring with each other while the leader, Ted, asked Kurama for one.
Kuwabara was amazed at Vesta's speed but then again as she was a cheetah demon, that made sense. He was also amazed at how quickly he was moving. It was faster than when he killed the boar. He could make out Vesta's spotted form ahead of him a good distance away and the peaks coming into view. And yet, I'm not moving as fast as Hiei does. I should be able to as I have his speed abilities. He hurried after his opponent. He smiled as he picked up speed, the ground a brown blur beneath him. He was coming up on the peaks when Vesta passed, fangs bared in that friendly smile again.
He reached the peaks, launched himself off the ground toward the base, twisted around so his feet hit the rock, and pushed off from it. His body flew through the air and the instant his feet hit the ground, he was speeding along. He couldn't help smiling. Running at these speeds was awesome! The ground blurring beneath him, his legs pumping under him, and the wind cutting around his body.
He saw Vesta ahead and increased his speed. The finish point was coming up. He gritted his teeth as he attempted to catch up and past the cheetah. He raced for the finish line and reached it…several seconds after Vesta. He had lost and yet he wasn't really upset about it as it was really to gauge his speed.
Vesta and Kuwabara panted, both smiling. "You are…quite fast…Kuwabara," she panted.
"So are you," Kuwabara gasped. "Really, really fast."
Another demon called out to Kuwabara to test his strength and as he headed over, Ted came up to Vesta and noticed a faraway look in her eyes. "Vesta," he ventured.
"Oh, Ted," she purred. "He's perfect. No one's ever managed to catch up to me the way he has. He's also really sweet."
"What are you saying?"
"I want him for my mate."
"I see." He looked at the sky before calling, "Kurama, what say the eight of us camp here tonight?"
"Sounds good. We have meat we could share." Kurama watched Kuwabara fight and saw the smile. I think he's starting to realize that not all demons are bad; some are a lot like humans.